Alta
Alta Gerrey (born 1942) is an American poet, prose writer, and publisher, best known as the founder of Shameless Hussy Press and editor of the Shameless Hussy Review. Life Personal life Alta was born in Reno, Nevada. She started the Shameless Hussy Press with her 2nd husband. She wrote a volume of "blatant lesbian poems", Letters to Women (1969). After the press closed she started operating an art gallery in Berkeley, California. Poetry and prose Her 1st volume of feminist poetry, Freedom's in Sight, was published in 1969, and some of her poems were anthologized in such collections as From Feminism to Liberation (Philip G. Altbach and Edith S. Hoshino, eds, 1971). Shameless Hussy Press Alta started Shameless Hussy Press in 1969. The 1st women-owned feminist press in California, it opened during the time of 2nd-wave feminism. Alta used a printing press in her garage to publish books by authors such as Susan Griffin, Pat Parker, and Mitsuye Yamada. Yamada later described Alta as an "energetic feminist poet" who promoted Yamada's debut volume of poetry "at women’s conferences, women’s health centers, and lesbian bars." The press published the original edition of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide, When the Rainbow is Enuf by Ntozake Shange, and Mary Mackey's premiere novel, Immersion (1972). They also published poetry by men: "Alta reasoned that since 6 percent of the books published in the U.S. were by women, 6 percent of the books she published should be by men." The press closed in 1989; its archive is held at University of California Santa Cruz. Recognition Her 1980 collected works, The Shameless Hussy (Crossing Press), won the American Book Award in 1981. Publications Poetry *''Freedom's in Sight: Poems and collages''. Berkeley, Ca: Aldebaran Review, 1969. *''Burn This and Memorize Yourself: Poems for women''. New York: Times Change Press, 1971. *''No Visible Means of Support''. San Lorenzo, CA: Shameless Hussy Press, 1971. *''Through''. San Francisco: Panjandrum Press, 1972. *''The Vow (for Anne Hutchinson). San Leandro, Shameless Hussy Press, 1974. *''I Am Not a Practicing Angel: Poems. Trumansburg, NY: Crossing Press, 1975. *''Theme and Variations: Longpoem''. San Lorenzo, CA: Shameless Hussy Press, 1975. *''Deluged with Dudes: Platonic and erotic love poems to men''. Berkeley, CA: Shameless Hussy Press, 1989. Short fiction *''True Story: Prose''. Oakland, CA: Mamma's Press, 1973. *''Momma: A start on all the untold stories''. New York: Times Change Press, 1974. *''Pauline and the Mysterious Pervert''. Warwick, NY: Wyrd Press, 1975. Non-fiction *''Letters to Women''. Berkeley, CA: Shameless Hussy Press, 1976. *''Travelling Tales: Flings I've flung in foreign parts''. Berkeley, CA: Acapella Communications, 1990. Collected editions *''Poems and Prose''. Pittsburgh, PA: Know Inc., 1975? *''The Shameless Hussy: Selected stories, essays, and poems''. Trumansburg, NY: Crossing Press,1980. Edited *''Remember Our Fire: Poetry by women''. Berkeley: Noh Directions Press, 1969. *''If we Know Where the Poems Come from why Don't We Just Go There: A collection of poems from "Women Making Poetry". San Lorenzo, CA: Shameless Hussy Press, 1975. ''Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Alta, WorldCAt, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Apr. 18, 2014. See also *List of U.S. poets References External links ;Poems *"Penus Envy" (excerpt?) ;About *Alta Galleria * interviews with Alta and history of press. *An Interview with Berkeley gallery-owner, Alta Gerrey, 2011 Category:1942 births Category:American feminists Category:American poets Category:American publishers Category:Living people Category:20th-century poets Category:20th-century women writers Category:American women writers Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Women poets